Today we're shining a spotlight on another one of the "Big Four" vintage pen companies; Waterman was featured on Sunday and Parker yesterday, so that just left Sheaffer and Wahl-Eversharp. Today's write up is by Christopher and it's about a vintage Sheaffer fountain pen. Christopher writes: "Currently, I have a number of Sheaffer Snorkel pens in my collection, but
if I was asked to select only one to retain, I would have to say this
one is it."
So...which one is it?
To find out, read on!
Christopher writes:
"When it came to filling mechanisms back in the day, I would have to say that Sheaffer's 'Snorkel' definitely was a leader and a sheer bit of mechanical genius. Complex, yes, but with a neat and tidy way of putting ink into a pen. The beauty was that the nib never had to be immersed in or touch the ink. Instead, it was a thin narrow metal tube which, by turning a knob at the end of the barrel, could be extended out of the feed. A Sheaffer 'Touch Down' mechanism was also incorporated and by pulling that knob up, a metal tube was extended out of the back of the barrel. A further 'push back' of this knob in turn pushed the tube just mentioned back into the barrel. creating a capillary vacuum, which drew the ink into the barrel. Of course, the thin filling tube was of need of a wipe free of ink and then it was simply a matter of screwing the knob back into its original place which, further in turn, brought the thin filling tube back into the feed. Although complex, the filling system worked extremely well
"When it came to filling mechanisms back in the day, I would have to say that Sheaffer's 'Snorkel' definitely was a leader and a sheer bit of mechanical genius. Complex, yes, but with a neat and tidy way of putting ink into a pen. The beauty was that the nib never had to be immersed in or touch the ink. Instead, it was a thin narrow metal tube which, by turning a knob at the end of the barrel, could be extended out of the feed. A Sheaffer 'Touch Down' mechanism was also incorporated and by pulling that knob up, a metal tube was extended out of the back of the barrel. A further 'push back' of this knob in turn pushed the tube just mentioned back into the barrel. creating a capillary vacuum, which drew the ink into the barrel. Of course, the thin filling tube was of need of a wipe free of ink and then it was simply a matter of screwing the knob back into its original place which, further in turn, brought the thin filling tube back into the feed. Although complex, the filling system worked extremely well
In taking a good look at this particular Sheaffer Snorkel pen, the
finish on the gold-filled barrel and cap consists of groups of five
vertical chased lines running horizontally from end to end, broken by a
cartouche engraving band at the open end of the
cap. The section is jet, sporting a silver threaded ring to accommodate
and screw on the cap, and at the business end of this grip is a most
substantial and quite impressive Sheaffer platinum-masked Triumph 14K
Gold nib. This is a white dot warranted Sheaffer
pen, which sits extremely well in the hand, posting at a full 6 ½ inches, but
capping back responsibly to 5 ½ inches. The Sheaffer catalogue model is
1125ky and had a successful retail run from the mid-fifties up to 1959.
If you have your sights set on a Sheaffer Snorkel, I think this is the one that ticks off all the boxes and will
definitely find a place in my vintage pen collection."
Thank you, Christopher, for sharing this very cool vintage fountain pen with us! For a more detailed look (with illustrations) of Sheaffer's Snorkel-filling mechanism, check out Richard Binder's article here.
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